Chapter 18

Back to the scene

“So, you’ll do the talking to the families of those teens?” Vanessa asked Reid as they finally returned to the crime scene. Even though they weren’t facing a monster now, she thought it was best if they went through what each of them will do or will not do. A little head starts on their teamwork. It may not seem much, but relaying information is a crucial thing and one mistake from either of them, it might make them unreliable.

“Most of the talking, including the cop. No offense but I think you might need some time since it’s been a while. Although you’re free to add on wherever I missed out or what you think is important for them to know. I’m not restricting you.” Reid said, letting Vanessa know that she isn’t constrained with him. Before he walked to the officers, he took a deep breath, in and out to brace himself for all those conversations. He had to do it fast before the officers pack up and leave then it would be another wave of trouble to head to the station to include their statements along other official papers.

Reid glanced at Vanessa who nodded. The two walked towards the officers in charge, gaining their attention immediately. He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to assume that it was due to the splash of blood on themselves and the forming bruises on himself especially.

“Hello again officers, we’ll make this quick for you. I’m sure we’re all tired. If you follow the path down the park towards the other road, head to your left and you’ll find the corpse of a monster down the first alley.”

“Monster!?”

“So, it was a monster…these poor kids…”

“How would their parents-,”

“-I’ll settle the talk with the parents. The rest I’m leaving it up to all of you. Don’t worry the monster is dead and there shouldn’t be anymore. If you’re worried, I’ll leave one of my spare guns specifically for those monsters with you just in case.” Reid interrupted while handing one of the officers his gun as promised.

The officer took the gun before nodding to Reid.

“Thank you, Larkin. I assumed you were the one who killed the monster?” The officer asked.

Reid gulped slightly, feeling the stare from Vanessa. He expected her to blurt that she was the one who killed the monster while he was busy being enticed to it, but thankfully only a long sigh came out from her. That didn’t mean her darkening stare didn’t steer away. Reid wasn’t one to discredit someone, so of course he’d tell the truth…almost the whole truth.

“Ah…haha…” At this point, Reid would rather confront a monster than this awkwardness. “Not really. I am thankful for my partners’ presence. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think you would have seen me at this very second.”

Both Vanessa and the officers’ eyes widened at his…confession. The officers weren’t fully aware that Vanessa was working with him. To show some sincerity and gratitude, the officer turned to Vanessa and thanked her for her efforts.

Meanwhile for Vanessa’s little case, she wouldn’t deny she was grateful that Reid credited her, and the officers acknowledged her. At the same time, she was stifling a laughter since she knew Reid was keeping his little clumsy act as a secret. If it wasn’t something dire, she would have spilled it to amuse herself with his little flustered reactions, but in this situation, it was better kept for the take of their trustworthiness and reputation. Unless it’s with other hunters who are on the same team. Nonetheless, Vanessa was relieved that this proved she could trust Reid a little more.

“No worries, we were doing our best for everyone. I do hope all you get home safely. We’ll leave the body to you and the remaining evidence.” Vanessa said firmly.

With that being agreed on, all that was left was for each of them to carry on with their respective tasks.

“Once we’re done with the families of these deceased teenagers, we will help where necessary to clear the place and the crowd. It’s best for everyone to return to their homes. We don’t want to seem like a free all you can eat buffet.”

“Alright then. We’ll contact you in future if we have any other questions or needs. Thank you for your contribution, both of you.” Once the office left, Reid let out another sigh and turned to Vanessa.

“Next…” Even though it wasn’t Reid’s first time delivering such news…it was never the best feeling. No matter how prepared he was or how prepared the families was for both answers, it was as if a large boulder was carefully lowering itself on their backs. It sounded like a simple task, verbally explaining to the families what they expected and the type of monster including its size and whether they have seen it before…but the reciprocal was the one each party dreaded the most. Even if the first hunter was alive and was still on the field, he too, would have a harder…no, he would have the hardest time.

Vanessa noticed the reluctance and nudged Reid. “Family time…the hardest part.” Vanessa mumbled.

She may not be the person delivering the news, but she shared the same suffocating pierce in her heart everything she thought of how the news would appear to the families…how they would feel…how would they grieve…would they accept it or, be in denial or…blame the hunters and people around them for being too late? Even though it wasn’t the hunter’s fault and most of them are already doing the best they could that at times they too, were sacrificed for the citizen’s safety. It probably was a good thing that she wasn’t the one who would deliver the news. Reid was right, it’s been a while since she was on this field and she might unintentionally approach as the most unempathetic person. That was the last thing both she and the family needed. However, she might in future so there isn’t much escape from it. For now, she should observe how Reid does it and improve herself from there.

The families of the teens were waiting at the bench, hugging the last items they had of their dear children. The atmosphere was no different from a surgeon coming to tell their awaited families of the bad news. Once they saw Reid, the parents of each of the deceased teenagers stood up immediately and looked at him with those dreadful eyes that were trapped in despair. Reid knew that the families didn’t exactly need to be told who or what killed their precious children, but it was important for the start of their closure. The rest of the progress depends on them and their spirits.

“We meet again. I’m sorry…we’re sorry for your loss.” Reid said as he glanced at Vanessa who nodded along to the family. “As we all thought, it was indeed a monster that harmed your dearest children.”

Reid paused, giving some time to the grieving family to process the information and hopefully hold themselves together for now. Based on the looks of their faces, the way the tensed and hug each other, he decided that it was the best to not go into further details. At least not yet. He didn’t want to overwhelm the family with too much information that could bring more harm than good no matter what he thought initially.

“The monster was caught and naturally killed. It won’t harm anyone else, and we ensure that we’re doing our best to reduce and finally, execute every monster that walked on this earth. Please get home and get some rest if possible. If you require any assistance, be it monster related or not, do not hesitate to contact me.”

Vanessa noticed a few details were kept out. She knew Reid told her she could add on if she wishes, but she had a deep feeling that there she shouldn’t and there was a reason Reid hadn’t brought it up. If she were to bring it up now, it could cause more conflict than needed, so she decided that she should question him later when they were alone. The families mental state and well-being were the priority now. He knew that the families, especially the mothers of the two teenagers were trying their best to not break down in front of them. Reid may not be able to feel their pain as much as Vanessa does, so they lease he could do is console them and give them their time rather than rush them to head home after receiving such information.

“Thank you…we’ll keep that in mind. My dear child…these monsters…they never gave us an ounce of peace. We do hope, that we could return to how it was before, where we could leave homes without worries of being shredded into pieces or turning into fresh food for creatures as big as our buildings.”

“Rest assured we are doing our best to exterminate them. It was never easy for hunters to.” Reid glanced at Vanessa then turned to the families. “We are all doing our part. Those monsters will soon learn to not mess with us. Allow my partner and I to escort you away. I’m sure it’s not the best to stay here or stay outside any longer.”

With that, Reid hoped that it was the beginning of a closure for the family. They thanked him for his efforts, and he was glad that they didn’t question any further, especially about the monster. He believed that when they knew that the monster was dead, it was enough to allow their children to rest in their graves. He only hoped that the authorities would announce stricter rules to the citizens, especially the youngsters. They were not completely safe from the monsters so until the time where they are sure there isn’t an eye of the monster within them, they are never safe, and they will never be safe. He and Vanessa escorted the families to their vehicles before they assisted the police to clean up and persuade the crowd to head home after giving them better advice on how to stay safe indoors. Reid didn’t wish for a lockdown, but he felt that if the time comes for that, they citizens should at least be prepared with food and safety. Their homes may not be able to fully protect them but there was something done, there was some effort so they wouldn’t beat themselves up for any minor negligence.

It was a hard work for everyone just because of one monster. From the cleaning to the towing of the wrecked card and clearing the last of the crowd, those process nearly took an hour and a half. The chaos, including the mutters from the crowd who were watching went from bustling to a nature silence. At long last, it was emptiness as before with some deceiving peace. At least to Reid, there was a short time for him and Vanessa to catch a break before their next move. He took a seat on the bench, Vanessa joining beside him. She figured that it should be the right time to bring up her questions since it was only the two of them.

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“You only told them about the monster being caught and kills. Why didn’t you inform them about what we saw?” Vanessa asked curiously when Reid didn’t share the entire story earlier.

“If you meant shifting? Yeah. I don’t think it’s right time.” And Reid stood firm with his believe on that take. “First of all, we are unsure if they could really shift, or it was that one monster. We’ll more research and evidence. Because as simple as it could be, it could cause chaos to the whole world. That comes down to my next point. If they are already wary about the monster whereabouts especially when they couldn’t predict their movements for such gigantic creatures, how do you think they would react if they knew those vile creatures could be amongst us? The witch’s era would begin again, and they could accuse anyone of being the monster. Worst case scenario is that they take matters into their own hands.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened at that conclusion.

“You mean that…they might kill someone who they think is the monster…”

“And that person is an innocent citizen.” Reid finished. “We have a lot of work to do…I need to figure out more about these monsters. We need to find a way to differentiate them from ordinary humans.”

Vanessa nodded in agreement before adding on. “We must find something…different? Maybe something obvious about them when they are in a human form such as the way they talk, their eyes and skin texture, or we must come up with a device that will be able to assist us in differentiating between monster humans and human humans.”

“That’s right. It’ll still be another tiring process including convincing others while ensuring they don’t panic. If it comes to creating a device as you said, then not only hunters would have them.” Reid mumbled before letting out a long sigh. He closed his eyes, taking the short break to indulge in the sound and the warmth of the nature around them. It was going to be night soon and they had to move in a bit. However, neither of them made the first move to leave.

It was an uncomfortable yet much needed silence between them. Especially for Vanessa. Once again it was barely a day since she knew Reid and worked with him in his own agency, and she already has doubts about this… so called agency of his that she wondered how it was approved in the first place. She believed that there were only the two of them. And if the two of them already had a ruckus to kill a monster of a decent size, then what of the larger monsters? Especially if Reid wanted them alive for research? Even if her strength was more than five people in one, it alone wasn’t enough.

“Come on, I’ll send you home. I know you could probably walk or…run home like how you did before but what kind of a team would I be to allow a lady to head home alone in the near night?” Reid teased, causing Vanessa to roll her eyes at him.

“Yes, thank you but let me remind you that this lady saved your careless life from a monster you were gawking at for its signature. Now get on with it and show me to your car.”

“You’ll never let me forget about that won’t you?”

“As long as my memory serves him well, then nope.” Vanessa said while popping the P.

A small chuckle exchanged between them as Reid lead her to his car once again. He took of most of his suit armor, tossing it at the back while Vanessa made herself comfortable on the passenger seat. Once Reid was comfortable in the driver’s seat, he felt the sudden exhaustion from the whole week of constantly working and he knew there was no chance of him having a peaceful night anytime sooner. He felt his body weighing down and his stomach picking and poking him from the lack of food.

“Before we carry on with anything, how does some food sound? We don’t have to get a big meal but maybe some fast food that should be filling enough to make up sleepy or something?”

One would never reject the mention of food, especially during the need for an important discussion. Hence, Vanessa nodded.

“Sure, whatever is nearby and open. You’re treating again though.” Vanessa leaned against the seat, tilting her head slightly towards Reid while flashing him a smirk.

“Alright, alright, guess that will be my thank you gift to you for saving my life.”

Before the sun completely set, they made it through a drive through. Reid got them some burgers, a couple of fries and some cooling soft drinks. He left the engine on so the cold air from the aircon would constantly circulate around them. They first ate their meals in silence, savoring the juiciness from the meat and how the cold water ran down their dry throats. It was almost heaven…a somewhat heaven. A temporary one before they must go through a daily routine of hunting down monsters and witnessing partners and innocents’ deaths.

For Vanessa, it’s been a while too since she had a full meal. One that was with the presence of someone. One without her constant guilt about her former team members. She indeed wanted to bring up the issues of his agency, but that could be done once she savored the last of her bits. Reid seemed to be enjoying his too and even though she wasn’t on full terms with the man yet, she wasn’t that harsh to ruin his little mealtime. She knew he must have racked out his brains trying to figure out all these theories just to save others lives. He too, like many others, need his little mental break.

So, they enjoyed a heartful meal for about half an hour, watching the sky turned from a warm orange to an azure night sky. There were almost no stars, as if they too knew that if they were to shine too brightly then the monsters would appear and disturb the peace they tried to maintain. It was lively nearly the fast food but sadly it wasn’t as lively as they expected. The lively wasn’t those of joy, it was one where they were rushing for food, glancing around nervously at every second as if a monster was lurking to attack them the moment their attention was slightly distracted. Hushed whispers were exchanged instead of a normal chattery volume. It was overall, a depressing sight to see and live in.

“Reid, I have to talk to you about something and I hope you take it in a good light.” Vanessa finally started.

“Hm?” Reid was curious. Of course, he pushes away any feedbacks, so he nudged her ahead while he sipped his drink. “Go ahead. I’m listening. I’ll start driving once you’re done since it seems quite serious, and I don’t want to miss out anything while focusing on the road or vice versa.”

“Indeed, it is serious and important. It’s about this agency of yours, it’s only the two of us, isn’t it? There’s your ability I assume and there’s my strength. Not the worst as we are both kind of experienced but it’s not the best since we were nearly turned into fresh pancakes by a single monster of a decent build.” Vanessa paused, giving Reid some time to take in the information. He was focused on her and nodded. She took that as a sign to continue. “And I repeat that’s a single. What if we happen to run into several? I know you’ll be less distracted and excited by then, but your weapons could only do so much that goes to my strength too. If we really want this to work, then we need a team. A real team.”

She knew her words weren’t too harsh, and it was factual for someone like Reid to comprehend and accept. Maybe her words weren’t necessarily an advice but a reminder that he still has a team to build aside from researching those monsters. Perhaps he already had some others in mind and Vanessa was the first person he ran to while encountering these troubles, making it seem like he was only depending on the two of them. But she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that she did her part as a partner. The rest was up to Reid. She would assist him along the way of course, she wouldn’t leave him on his own despite knowing his capabilities. It was…just a nice gesture to have someone supporting you especially in this world.

“I would apologize and say I don’t mean to intrude.” Vanessa continued. “But now I’m a part of your agency and team as your wish. Yes, I may have joined you for my own reasons, though that doesn’t mean I’ll go along with how it is especially if it’s going to be a fragile team. If those monsters can improve then so can we.”

Now all she waited for was Reid’s response. Vanessa sat there with a stoic face. There was no room for anything emotional when it came to a serious talk that revolve around their lives that were constantly hanging by a thread. Reid’s expression didn’t change at first, though the direction of his gaze did. Soon enough, a small smile with a silent huff escaped his lips.

Reid listened attentively to Vanessa throughout her speech. He knew she wasn’t lying. She was willing to work with him and she was right about having a proper team. He should have sorted that out before contacting her. On the bright side, she didn’t change her mind about working with him. Reid figured that he could go through with her the list of people he was keen on hiring and maybe she has any recommendations. Sure, she may have isolated herself but…one never knows. Reid placed his hands on the stirring wheel but before he began driving, he turned to her.

“You’re right. Let’s get ready to assemble our team. Firstly, I’ll drive you home as promise. We can talk as I drive.” Reid said and drove off.

A satisfied hum came from Vanessa. The little internal debates that she prepared in her head in case his answers were otherwise were immediately disposed of. The next step was to find out what kind of team is he looking for and what kind of team is suitable for their goal. It was best to have people with abilities but that might be too discriminative and who knows if someone ordinary was better than them. The possibilities were endless.

“So…do you actually have anyone else?” Vanessa asked.

“…well…you see…”

“You don’t.” Vanessa let out a disappointed sigh while facepalming.

“Hey, hey…don’t discredit me like that. It’s late now and don’t worry, I’ll show you a list of candidates who seem suitable. It wouldn’t be a long list so fret not about getting to each of them. But it is detailed enough, and you have a say in it too. After all, you’re the first person I came to for this.”

“You sound like you’re a child explaining stuff to avoid getting a scolding.”

Reid chuckled awkwardly as he drove. “Uhm…look I may seem unreliable now but trust me. Everything will be prepared tomorrow. All you need to do is get some rest and I’ll do the paperwork unless you’d like some?”

“I’ll take whatever sleep I can get.” Vanessa rolled her eyes but gave the lightest punch she had to Reid. “I’ll trust you for now Larkin, so you better not make me regret joining you.”

“As you wish ma’am.”

The rest of the drive was finally a comfortable silence. Anything else that needed to be settled could be done tomorrow. Their job tonight was somewhat done and as much as they felt that they could better use their time for more research, be it for the monsters or new future teammates, they should use it for some shut eye for their bodies to recharge. Even though both knew there was a chance that they wouldn’t get much sleep, better than nothing. If they dared to skip out on sleep and food no matter how much coffee or energy bars the took, there was the slimmest chance of them collapsing while fighting a monster and that’s not even the worst-case scenario.

Within 10 minutes, Reid arrived at Vanessa’s apartment. He unlocked the door and Vanessa went out of the car. She closed the door, noticing the winded down windows.

“Get up early tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at about 8am. Rest well Vanessa.” Reid waved before driving off.

“Hmph, goodnight, Larkin.”